Jumping rope has long been recognized as an excellent aerobic exercise since it simultaneously stresses all the arm and leg muscles, the trunk muscles and increases the heart rate with its attendant cardiovascular advantages. Moreover, it requires minimal apparatus, which is portable and low in cost. The inherent low cost of jump ropes reduces the profitability of manufacturing and marketing them, and thus manufacturers have tended to emphasize much higher priced exercise equipment which is often not as beneficial as jump ropes in terms of achieving exercise goals.
It has previously been proposed to measure various health parameters while jumping rope. For example, Everlast Corporation manufactures a jump rope which includes a calorie counter and a workout timer. Various other jump ropes which include various counters, timers and the like are believed to have been marketed at one time.
A physical parameter obviously of interest to persons jumping rope is their heart rate, since jumping rope elevates the heart rate and it is desirable to exercise at an optimum heart rate given the age and physical size of the exerciser, in order to attain a maximum aerobic improvement without incurring dangerously high heart rates.